Superbalist in the City Rocks Emmarentia Dam!

Superbalist In the City took over Jozi this past weekend as thousands of music lovers filled venues across the city’s downtown venues and green spaces for three days of the most epic partying you’ll have all summer.

On Sunday 9th October, the Superbalist In The City Concert took to Emmarentia Dam, where fans arrived in their thousands with picnic blankets, umbrellas and sunblock to enjoy a full day of local and international rock, indie and rap.

Proving local musicians are just as good as the rest, Sol Gems got the day started with the tastiest of tunes with their retro rock vibes. Shortly after their performance, we had a chat with Sol Gems band members Struan (lead vocalist), Gabriel (drummer) and Pano (bass guitarist) to dig a little deeper and explore their psychedelic sounds:

Quirky and energetic Shortstraw followed before previous Open The City winners Grassy Spark rounded off the local acts.

Next up was the UK’s Beardyman, who impressed and wowed the crowd with his unbelievable, bass-filled beatboxing and live-looping skills. A one-man show like Joburg had never seen before, Beardyman left fans screaming, clapping and laughing.

It wasn’t long before the crowd started shouting “Mac! Mac! Mac!”, calling for US rap sensation Mac Miller to hit the stage. The laid back lyricist performed an incredible set that the Joburg audience sang along to, word for word, dropping hits like “Weekend” and “Dang”. In an interview backstage after his performance, Mac Miller said he was surprised at how popular and well-known his music was in South Africa – and that he loved the energy of the local crowds.

It was only fitting that indie legends Foster The People ended off the international line-up and essentially closed the three-day festival. Playing in all white, including all-white instruments, Foster The People’s 90-minute set was infectious. They played songs from both their albums including “Call It What You Want” and “Don’t Stop”. The most memorable moment was their encore of “Pumped Up Kids”, which played as the sun set over Emmarentia Dam with fans swaying their hands in the air singing “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks…”

Foster The People

Foster The People

Foster The People

Foster The People

Foster The People

Mac Miller

Mac Miller

Mac Miller

The best festivals need the best partners to make them happen. Superbalist In The City would like to thank Superbalist.com, Virgin Mobile, TRACE Urban, MTV, Channel 24, Klipdrift, Lipton Ice Tea and Red Square Vodka.

To see everything that went down at SxITC2016 from 7-9 October, hit up the festival’s website and social media pages.